How to Manage Flexible Schedules

Posted on October 23, 2017 by in

Work-from-home options are becoming big-ticket items in the battle for work-life balance, but not all offices have the ability to offer this perk. However, some alternatives can help both the employer and the employees. Consider a flexible schedule option. In this scenario, your employees have more control over their work hours but are still required to be in the office between certain times of day. Let’s take a closer look at how it works.

Earlier start times. The commute may be killing your staff. So, if you need to make sure they’re in the office, give them an option to come in earlier or later in the day. This can also help families with school-age children make sure their kids get on the bus safely in the mornings.

Later end times. The same is true for the end of the day. Your staff shouldn’t be able to come in late and leave early, but if they come in late, they can miss rush hour traffic by waiting until later to head home. Set business hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or similar times, and let your staff work their schedules between those times.

Honesty is the best policy. For a flexible schedule to work, you need to trust your staff. You don’t need to micromanage the policy; just let them police themselves. The most important thing is to keep an eye on their productivity. If someone is taking advantage of the schedule and performing poorly, then you can take action. Otherwise, let the results speak for themselves.

Additional employee needs. Finally, don’t be too specific about how or when your staff can use their time off. For instance, if someone has a doctor’s appointment in the morning and comes in late, don’t automatically deduct half a personal day. Give them some wiggle room, and let vacation and sick days be used in their entirety.